Abhijeet Dhakane
PhD Data Science and Engineering
I am a computational materials scientist working at the intersection of atomistic simulation, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. I earned my Ph.D. in Data Science and Engineering through the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee, with research conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. My work focuses on physics-informed and AI-driven approaches for nanoscale materials and next-generation memory and energy devices, integrating large-scale molecular dynamics, machine learning, and autonomous workflows, with particular interest in simulation-driven discovery and the mechanistic interpretability of scientific machine learning models.
Education
PhD in Data Science and EngineeringUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Advisor:
Ganesh P. / Bobby Sumpter
University of Texas at Arligton, Arlington, USA
Advisor:
Ankur Jain
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Academic Research Experience
Aug 2019 - May 2025
The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research (University of Tennessee Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Knoxville, TN, USA
Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences - Nano Theory Institute
Led the development of exascale multi-GPU MD and AI workflows for ferroelectric and 2D materials, enabling dynamics-by-design materials design and accelerated training on DOE-scale HPC systems.
Jan 2018 - Aug 2019
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
Graduate Research Assistant, Microscale Thermophysics Laboratory
Led molecular dynamics studies of Li-ion interfacial heat transport, achieving up to 250% improvement in thermal conductance through interface and monolayer design.
Sept 2018 - Dec 2018
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
DOE-ASTRO Intern, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences - Nano Theory Institute
Modeled electron-beam-driven defect dynamics and phase separation in metallic alloys to support atom-by-atom fabrication experiments.
Jan 2018 - Aug 2018
University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute, Arlington, TX, USA
Research Assistant, Institute for Predictive Performance Methodologies
Implemented in-situ structural health monitoring with a smart thin devices and supported clean-room microfabrication workflows for aerospace composite materials.
Jul 2015 - Jul 2017
Savitraibai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Project Assistant, Center for Modelling and Simulations
Applied classical and DFT-based simulations with HPC workflows, building automation and post-processing tools to improve modeling throughput.
Publications
A Graph Dynamical Neural Network Approach for Decoding Dynamical States in Ferroelectrics
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Tian Xie
,
Dundar Yilmaz
,
Adri van Duin
,
Bobby G. Sumpter
,
P. Ganesh
Carbon Trends. 2023.
Smoky Mountain Data Challenge 2021 – An Open Call to Solve Scientific Data Challenges Using Advanced Data Analytics and Edge Computing
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
et al.
Springer International Publishing. 2022.
Molecular dynamics simulations of separator–cathode interfacial thermal transport in a Li-ion cell
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Vikas Varshney
,
Juan Liu
,
Hendrik Heinz
,
Ankur Jain
Surfaces and Interfaces. 2020.
Surface, Interface, and Temperature Effects on the Phase Separation and Nanoparticle Self-Assembly of Bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5
R. H. Allaire
,
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
R. Emery
,
P. Ganesh
,
P. D. Rack
,
L. Kondic
,
L. Cummings
,
M. Fuentes-Cabrera
Nanomaterials. 2019.
Talks
Understanding Switching in Hexagonal Ferroelectrics by Combining Large-scale Reactive MD and Experiments
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Alireza Sepehrinezhad
,
Kyle Kelley
,
Adri van Duin
,
P. Ganesh
APS March Meeting. 2024.
Understanding Dynamics of Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Oxides at the Nanoscale Using Graph Neural Networks on Reactive Force-Field Simulations
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Tian Xie
,
Dundar Yilmaz
,
Adri van Duin
,
Bobby G. Sumpter
,
P. Ganesh
APS March Meeting. 2023.
Understanding Dynamics of Heterogeneous Ferroelectric Oxides at the Nanoscale Using Graph Neural Networks on Reactive Force-Field Simulations
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Tian Xie
,
Dundar Yilmaz
,
Adri van Duin
,
Bobby G. Sumpter
,
P. Ganesh
OPRA Symposium, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 2023.
Unraveling Hidden Order and Dynamics in a Heterogeneous Ferroelectric System Using Machine Learning
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
P. Ganesh
,
N. Sivadas
Smoky Mountain Data Challenge. 2021.
Posters
Understanding Switching in Hexagonal Ferroelectrics by Combining Large-scale Reactive MD and Experiments
Abhijeet Dhakane
,
Alireza Sepehrinezhad
,
Kyle Kelley
,
Adri van Duin
,
P. Ganesh
CNMS User Meeting. 2024.
Academic Service
Reviewing
Nature computational science
(Reviewer)
2025 - ongoing
Nature communications
(Reviewer)
2024 - ongoing
Physica Status Solidi (B) (Wiley)
(Reviewer)
2024 - ongoing
IOP Science - Physica Scripta
(Reviewer)
2024 - ongoing
Physica Status Solidi - Rapid Research Letetrs (Wiley)
(Reviewer)
2023 - ongoing
Physical Review X [Letters, B, Materials],
(Reviewer)
2023 - ongoing
Collaborators
Aug 2020 - present
Distinguished University Professor, Penn State University
Aug 2022- present
Research and Development Associate
Aug 2020
Materials Scientist
Aug 2020
Principal research manager
Jan 2019 - Aug 2019
Research Chemist
Press
Jun 7 2024
ORNL Review